Vulnerability Description
A local privilege escalation (PE) vulnerability exists in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR agent on Windows platforms that enables an authenticated local Windows user to execute programs with SYSTEM privileges. Exploiting this vulnerability requires the user to have file creation privilege in the Windows root directory (such as C:\). This issue impacts: All versions of Cortex XDR agent 6.1 without content update 181 or a later version; All versions of Cortex XDR agent 7.2 without content update 181 or a later version; All versions of Cortex XDR agent 7.3 without content update 181 or a later version. Cortex XDR agent 5.0 versions are not impacted by this issue. Content updates are required to resolve this issue and are automatically applied for the agent.
CVSS Score
HIGH
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Paloaltonetworks | Cortex Xdr Agent | 6.1 |
| Microsoft | Windows | - |
Related Weaknesses (CWE)
References
- https://security.paloaltonetworks.com/CVE-2021-3042Vendor Advisory
- https://security.paloaltonetworks.com/CVE-2021-3042Vendor Advisory
FAQ
What is CVE-2021-3042?
CVE-2021-3042 is a vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). A local privilege escalation (PE) vulnerability exists in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR agent on Windows platforms that enables an authenticated local Windows user to execute programs with SYSTEM ...
How severe is CVE-2021-3042?
CVE-2021-3042 has been rated HIGH with a CVSS base score of 7.8/10. Review the CVSS metrics above for detailed severity breakdown.
Is there a patch for CVE-2021-3042?
Check the references section above for vendor advisories and patch information. Affected products include: Paloaltonetworks Cortex Xdr Agent, Microsoft Windows.